Via ferrata - Gear

• Posted on September 16, 2008 at 1:47 PM
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Making the clip on the Canyon Trail via ferrata, Bobbie Burns Lodge. Photo from CMH.

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Doing a via ferrata requires some specialized equipment. Some is the same for rock climbing or mountaineering, but the leashes are specific to the sport.

Shoes: Bobbie Burns Lodge has a huge stock of heavy duty hiking boots for people to borrow, which work well for via ferrata. A stiff sole makes standing on edges and rebar steps easy and protects ankles in the rocky terrain on the ascent and descent. Guides and guests wore boots like Garmont's Tower GTX and La Sportiva Makalus. I wore my Scarpa Mustang GTX and they worked great.

Harness: standard mountaineering harness.

Gloves: on a cold day holding metal rails, chains, and biners makes hands cold. A pair of waterproof gloves with good dexterity are a good idea. Check Explore's winter issue gift guide for a suggestion from Kompredell.

Helmet: typical rock helmet.

Leashes: this is the key piece of via ferrata equipment. All along the route is a metal cable bolted into the rock every six feet or so on vertical sections and a little further a part in horizontal areas. The idea is to have two caribiners attached to the person and the cable at all times. At each bolt or break in the cable you unclip one caribiner and move it forward and then do the same with the other. Even at changeover points you are always clipped in. If you fall, you only fall as far as the last bolt. This could still hurt, so the leashes - two metre long lengths of material similar to the fabric in a climbing quick draw - have a screamer built into it. A screamer is a doubled over section of webbing tied with weak thread. The idea is in a high impact fall the weak thread would rip out on impact, reducing the strain, but the strong webbing would still hold the fall. Both leashes have a self locking caribiner at the end. A small rounded wire makes opening it easy - just pull down on the cable with one finger and the gate unlocks and opens. Several manufacturers make via ferrata leashes. Watch for two new set ups from Black Diamond next spring.

Now all you need is some rock, a hammer drill, rebar and cable and you can have your very own Iron Way.